if (err)
                goto err_lrc;
 
+       /*
+        * Normally the user vm holds an rpm ref to keep the device
+        * awake, and the context holds a ref for the vm, however for
+        * some engines we use the kernels migrate vm underneath which
+        * offers no such rpm ref. Make sure we keep a ref here, so we
+        * can perform GuC CT actions when needed. Caller is expected to
+        * have already grabbed the rpm ref outside any sensitive locks.
+        */
+       if (e->flags & ENGINE_FLAG_VM)
+               drm_WARN_ON(&xe->drm, !xe_device_mem_access_get_if_ongoing(xe));
+
        return e;
 
 err_lrc:
                xe_lrc_finish(e->lrc + i);
        if (e->vm)
                xe_vm_put(e->vm);
+       if (e->flags & ENGINE_FLAG_VM)
+               xe_device_mem_access_put(gt_to_xe(e->gt));
 
        kfree(e);
 }
                        if (XE_IOCTL_DBG(xe, !hwe))
                                return -EINVAL;
 
+                       /* The migration vm doesn't hold rpm ref */
+                       xe_device_mem_access_get(xe);
+
                        migrate_vm = xe_migrate_get_vm(gt_to_tile(gt)->migrate);
                        new = xe_engine_create(xe, migrate_vm, logical_mask,
                                               args->width, hwe,
                                               (id ?
                                               ENGINE_FLAG_BIND_ENGINE_CHILD :
                                               0));
+
+                       xe_device_mem_access_put(xe); /* now held by engine */
+
                        xe_vm_put(migrate_vm);
                        if (IS_ERR(new)) {
                                err = PTR_ERR(new);
 
 #define ENGINE_FLAG_KERNEL             BIT(1)
 #define ENGINE_FLAG_PERSISTENT         BIT(2)
 #define ENGINE_FLAG_COMPUTE_MODE       BIT(3)
+/* Caller needs to hold rpm ref when creating engine with ENGINE_FLAG_VM */
 #define ENGINE_FLAG_VM                 BIT(4)
 #define ENGINE_FLAG_BIND_ENGINE_CHILD  BIT(5)
 #define ENGINE_FLAG_WA                 BIT(6)